9.3x64mm Brenneke

[PHOENIX PHIL]

G'day Phil, I actually bought the blank from Chris Schofeild at Walnut Grove gunstocks in Idaho and sent it to Wes for shaping, and an excellent job he did of that ! This piece also has one of Wes's aluminium chassis.

Regarding Dallas, I cannot commit to being there for the dinner but am certainly trying to aim to join the crown for a few drinks at the very least.

Cheers,

Paul.

So English walnut? Thinking of English for a pre-64 M70 I picked up last week. A previous owner committed the atrocity of taking a dremel tool to it and refinishing. It's okay, but there's no value in the stock anymore. So I'm thinking of just making it a pure shooter by refinishing the metal and putting one of Wes' creations on it.

 

[PaulT]

Yes, the timber on mine is English walnut.
Chris gets his hands on some awesome timber from time to time and is well worth checking out.If ou need his details let me know, I know I have them here somewhere.

Nice pick up on the pre-'64, what cal ?

If you want a pure shooter consider a Cerakote finish. It looks o.k and is virtually indestructible. It won't appease the collectors but it is extremely durable.
Combined with one of Wes's stocks, with the bedding chassis, then you end up with a pretty durable weapon that looks o.k too.

 

[JET216]

I am new here, but was drawn in by this thread. I have been using my 9.3x64 here in Alaska for many years. I have taken moose, caribou, black bear and dall sheep with it. There was very little loading data available when I started. Handloader magazine 147 had a great article by Dieter Sturm that got me started. Enjoy your rifle , it's a beauty .

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Very good Cartridge.
A mate of mine has one. It shoots 3000grn Swift A Frame bullets as a standard but it open sights have been set for the heaver 320fmjs.

Very nice rifle. Congrats.
Witold

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Hi Shorty (PaulT)

How are you doing? I have a 9,3x64 and I absolutely love it. I wrote an article on it a long time ago, I will scan and email to you when I find it (Im off to barbeque some ribs, and watch rugby.)
A side note, all my clients that have used it, wanted to buy it!

It is the second rifle from the top (we moved the scope back a bit for a specific client...)

Beautiful rifles.
Witold

 

[bebo]

Very nice rifle, with "Prince de Galle" stock..... the little extra that makes the difference...
The "brit elegance"..

 

[PaulT]

Interesting to see the level of devotees this cartridge has when I used to think it was quite a rare duck.

 

[PaulT]

"I am new here, but was drawn in by this thread. I have been using my 9.3x64 here in Alaska for many years. I have taken moose, caribou, black bear and dall sheep with it. There was very little loading data available when I started. Handloader magazine 147 had a great article by Dieter Sturm that got me started. Enjoy your rifle , it's a beauty", quote Jet216.

Jet,
I appreciate your feed-back regarding your field experience with this cartridge.
I would love to hear about the projectiles you have used on game and how they performed, particularly so on the larger animals such as moose and bear.
I would also like to know more about the powders you employ and loads you use.

I have not had time to mess with mine very much up to this point but am nearing the time where I will be hunting with it very soon and will need to re-test and re-load in preparation for that.

Again, appreciate your hands on experience, thanks in advance for any further assistance provided.

 

[JET216]

PaulT, I have worked up loads for many different bullet types. My favorite hunting load has been a 250 gr. Barnes "X" with 69 grains of Reloader 15 @ 2814 fps. This is very accurate in both my Mannlicher Schonauer M72 and custom modified Winchester Model 70. I have yet to retrieve a bullet in the field. Most of my shots have been under 100 yards so even on Moose I shoot thru leaving a large exit wound. I have backed up several moose that had been shot, one with a 30-30 and one with a 270 w. They both acted as though they had not been hit and took off running. I punched through both shoulders and they dropped as though hit with a sledge hammer. Once on a Dall sheep I had stalked to within 75 yards and he was feeding away from me. When he bolted my only shot was from the rear. The 250 gr "x" entered the hindquarter and exited the opposite front shoulder passing through the entire length of the body. Once again massive exit wound damage and dropped instantly. One black bear suprised me as much as I suprised him in fairly thick cover, the shot went in the chest and out the side and he dropped like a sack of rocks. I stopped using either rifle for sheep because of the loss of meat and weight of the rifles. I have yet to had the opportunity to use it on a big Brown Bear. I have worked up a load with a 286 gr Barnes "X" and 66 grains of IMR 4064 @ 2641 fps. This load punched through twenty eight 3/4" pine boards at the shooting range where the 250 gr "X" went through twenty six. I just picked up some Cutting Edge bullets and am excited to see what I can do with them. Star Tough Bond had made me some custom 225 gr bullets that were traveling at 3149 fps but we're too short to stabilize so very inaccurate . Hope that helps some.

 

[PaulT]

Jet, thank-you so much for your response, you inadvertently hit a number of key points for me with your reply.

I have some 500 Barnes 250gn T.S.X's in store for my rifle and have battled getting a good load for them (some of that involved issues I was having with my chronograph at the time).

69gns of R 15 proved to be a little on the warm side for my gun which is a 1909 Argentine Mauser, and at the time of testing only gave some 2600fps, (an unreliable read from a faulty chrony, which I didn't know at the time).

I will be re-testing loads with R 15 and will start somewhere around the 63gn mark and work up from there.

I am very happy to hear of your findings of terminal results with the T.S.X's.
Very impressive, and what I would expect of a projectile I have been using in other calibers on large game.
Personally, I've always preferred pass throughs giving an entry AND an exit, to projectiles that mushroom under the skin on the far side.

I have used the 300gn T.S.X in .375 extensively on buffalo and Wild Oxen here in Aus with effective, reliable and repeatable results.
Having recently made the move over to 9.3 caliber I was hoping that the T.S.X's would be as reliable as they are in .375.

It is great to hear of the tremendous damage they are doing in your rifle on moose, bear and sheep as I too intend to employ this gun on "lesser" game such as deer and had a concern in the back of my mind of the T.S.X's penciling through with little damage.
That concern is now put to rest, thank-you.

Concerning your trials with other projectiles I am glad to see you are open to testing new tech and are trying the C.E.B's.

I have used, and seen used, several hundred on buffalo (and other game) and can assure you; you are in for a treat !

In your Win M70 you will get away with the 250gn Raptor which will have no problems feeding through the cone breech system of a Winchester but you may struggle getting it to feed in the Schonauer and you may need to step down to the 210gn Raptor which is shorter.

I would be interested in hearing of your impressions and results of your use of this projectile and general info on the 9.3x64.

Feel free to contact me direct on my e-mail address at;
ssahuntinfo@optusnet.com.au

Thank-you again for sharing your experience and knowledge, very much appreciated.

Paul.

 

[JET216]

It is really to bad that this cartridge never really got the credit it deserves. Especially in America where "bigger is better", which is not always the case. For the guy that spent his life shooting an '06 and has the opportunity to go on a dangerous game hunt the 9.3 will have the exact same bolt throw since it's built on the same length cartridge. So when muscle memory takes over on that critical second shot you can be sure the spent shell has cleared, not necessarily so with the long .375. I really don't know much about BC and SD but I read that a 286 gr 9.3 is superior to a 300 gr 375. I don't think an animal is going to know the difference of 14 gr of lead but I know I can take a longer shot with less drop and more energy using less powder. This is efficiency. I just picked up an 8mm/06 that I will be loading for that hopefully will have similar characteristics . Anyhow once again enjoy your rifle it is a beauty and don't give up on Reloader 15 they were meant for each other.

 

[geoff rath]

G'day all, I'm new on the 9.3X64; used a (borrowed) X62 for a battered old buff a couple of years back, but always was impressed by the X64, so.....
I'm having top Aussie gunsmith Rob Blomfield (Sunshine Coast Gusmithing) build one up for me on a Ruger No 1. Why? I'm a sick old No 1 fan, especially in non-standard calibers, and I HATE belts on cartridge cases; the biggest con in sporting arms, ever. Totally pointless. Hope I didn't upset too many folk. It'll have open sights, plus a low powered variable, and run mainly Woodleighs, 286 and up.... Wish me luck.
BTW, I've found probably the BEST ever loading data for African calibers comes from either Woodleigh's own reloading manual or Graham Wright's book on shooting the double rifle, both well worth buying. (or stealing)
Good luck, and great shooting all. Don't hesitate to tell me I'm mad, I know it already...

 

[PaulT]

Very best of luck with your 64mm, Geoff.

Since I initiated this thread you would think I could tell you quite a bit about this cartridge, but truth is, I can't !

I also have a Sako Black-bear in 9.3x62 with a synthetic stock and carry weight of 7.5lbs which always gets picked from the safe, whilst the pretty wood-stocked 64mm stays home and warms the safe.

I intend at some stage to get a synthetic stock for my 64mm to adapt it more practically to what I need from a rifle in the Victorian Alps throughout a wet hunting season.

Judging by the results i'm getting on Sambar with the x62mm the 64mm should be quite stunning !

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

[geoff rath]

Very best of luck with your 64mm, Geoff.

Since I initiated this thread you would think I could tell you quite a bit about this cartridge, but truth is, I can't !

I also have a Sako Black-bear in 9.3x62 with a synthetic stock and carry weight of 7.5lbs which always gets picked from the safe, whilst the pretty wood-stocked 64mm stays home and warms the safe.

I intend at some stage to get a synthetic stock for my 64mm to adapt it more practically to what I need from a rifle in the Victorian Alps throughout a wet hunting season.

Judging by the results i'm getting on Sambar with the x62mm the 64mm should be quite stunning !

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

[geoff rath]

Thans PaulT, Looking forward to it; partly building it in case I get after Water Buff, or camels, when using heavies; I'll follow your lead on Barnes 250s for lighter, longer range work. Nosler 250 Accubonds are like frog feathers, i was looking at them, but think it may be just a pipe dream.
I'm rapt in Rob Blomfield'swork, just as I was for Peter van Meurs; we have some pretty good 'smiths here in OZ.
cheers, and good hunting.
Geoff

 

[PaulT]

Geoff, for buff you will want to consider a heavier, stout bullet.

I intend loading those 250gn T.S.X's for deer hunting.

For buff,
the 285gn T.S.X or 300gn Woodlieghs might be better.

When it comes to buff my personal preference is for a much larger bore diameter than 9.3. Just my preference.

Should be close to perfect for Camels.
A friend of mine only just now returned from guiding on two separate hunts where 4 good bulls were taken.
3 of those bulls were taken with a .375 and 300gn T.S.X's with authority.

Great to see the level of gun-building talent in Australia.

Look forward to seeing your gun-build.

 

[luger6]

I had the good fortune to by a rebuild Husquarna 146 from 1940 ( original cal 9,3-57) some ten years ago.

At the time Husquarna used FN 98 actions. It has served me well on too trips to Namibia and one tripp to south Afrika.

I use Barnes TSX 250gr.

 

[sestoppelman]

The Barnes "X" bullet was mentioned here a couple of times, and I wonder if was it a reference to the original X or the newer and better TSX bullet.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I had the good fortune to by a rebuild Husquarna 146 from 1940 ( original cal 9,3-57) some ten years ago.

At the time Husquarna used FN 98 actions. It has served me well on too trips to Namibia and one tripp to south Afrika.

I use Barnes TSX 250gr.

Beautiful rifle.

 

[7x57Joe]

I had the good fortune to by a rebuild Husquarna 146 from 1940 ( original cal 9,3-57) some ten years ago.

At the time Husquarna used FN 98 actions. It has served me well on too trips to Namibia and one tripp to south Afrika.

I use Barnes TSX 250gr.

Exquisite rifle Sir! I am fond of my Husqvarna 640, which has the smoothest '98 action I've ever had but, is no where as pleasant to the eyes as yours.